Learning From Old Mistakes
by Waxabee
Summary: Set after BD. Bella and Edward's marriage was on the rocks for some time, but when Bella accidentally created a vampire, that was what led to the divorce. Spencer - the new Cullen - has fallen for a girl at school, can he learn from Edward's mistakes?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Spencer sat down, recoiling from his father's curious gaze. Concentrating on the cracks in the wall, he was glad that he had abilities similar to his adoptive mother's and was naturally resistant to his father's mind reading. It would be too embarrassing to have his father know the whole truth and he wanted to leave out most details to avoid getting _the _talk. He sighed knowing he would have to tell him some things if he wanted any advice at all, he supposed that his father was the most experience in his particular situation.

"Dad," Spencer breathed, "I need to ask you about something and I want you to hear me out before you pack up and move us out of town."

"What is it, son?" Edward asked with a flicker of panic in his ochre eyes.

"Well... um..." If his heart beat, Spencer's would have been in his throat right now.

"We don't keep secrets in the Cullen coven. Just tell me." Edward's tone burned with that authoritative quality. It happened occasionally ever since Carlisle's death; since Edward had become head of the family.

"I think that you're the best person to come to with this. There's this girl – a mortal girl – at school and... I think I'm in love with her." Spencer stopped and glanced up at his father to observe his reaction.

Edward's face did not hold the rage Spencer had expected. Instead he smiled and leaned in with curiosity. "Does she feel the same way about you?"

Spencer looked down at his thumbs as they wrestled in his nervous palms. "Well, the thing is, I've sort of been watching her from a distance. She is in my maths and physics classes, I've managed to say hi a couple of times and she even borrowed my pen one day." Spencer smiled, relishing the memory. He remembered how he snatched her pencil case from her locker while she wasn't watching. He returned it, of course.

Edward's brow furrowed, "That is creepy. It kind of reminds me of someone." For a moment, Edward stared passed Spencer, obviously reliving some past memory. Spencer wondered who he was thinking about. Edward must have seen the confusion on Spencer's face and straightened up. "When a man loves a woman, and that woman loves that man in return–"

_Here it comes, _Spencer thought.

"Only then can they have a trusting relationship. Following her around and doing things like watching her sleep; breaking her car so she can't go and see your love rivals; mocking her clumsiness and mortal inferiority all the time; using her teenage sexual cravings to coax her into marriage at a young age..."

"What are you getting at Dad?"

"Woo her. Be nice, friendly and don't come on too strongly. Let your relationship grow and don't do anything _too _serious before at least a few years of knowing her. You don't want to wind up married young with a hybrid baby and a bitter divorce on the horizon." Edward scowled out of the window wall.

"Learn from mistakes, right? Any word from Mom and Alice?"

"They arrived in Vancouver this morning. They sound like they're having fun."

"Maybe you guys can work it out when she gets back. She has a whole trip around the world to think it over."

"Maybe..." Edward sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Spencer arrived at school with a plan. And Edward's Vanquish. The students were gawking at the shiny bodywork as he leaned against it and waited for Anya to spot him. She'd come over, impressed,and ask him about it. It wouldn't be hard to persuade her to come for a ride.

He spied her on the other side of the lot, chaining her bicycle to the fence. She hadn't noticed him yet. She took off her helmet and fixed her blonde curls over she shoulders. She was clad in blue skinny jeans and a pale green blouse that billowed in unison with her hair as she came over. Her creamy skin was flushed with the exercise.

Her emerald green eyes caught his yellow ones as she passed him, not even slowing down for conversation. Her scent teased the air in her wake. It had a pleasant fruity quality to it. He waited for her to stop and turn around but she just continued walking to the science block. Crushed by the disappointment, he slunk off to class sulking.

When lunch came, and Spencer had realised how stupid his plan had been, he stood at the door of the cafeteria and deliberated over whether he should sit with Jasper, Emmett and Renesme or start acting on his newest plan to get Anya's attention. He chose the latter. He ran at a human-enough pace to his car, and headed home to fetch his toolbox.

Anya

"Oh crap," exclaimed Anya as she pawed through her satchel. Yep, it was gone. Mr Fletch was going to kill her. She gritted her teeth as she smiled meekly at the students around her, who had jump back in shock when she had swore loudly. Swallowing hard, she entered the science lab and sat down in her usual spot. She frowned at the empty space beside her. Rhys had flu, she hoped he'd feel better soon.

She took out her pen and note book and prayed that Fletch wouldn't notice that her text book was missing. Anya's heart nearly cracked through her ribs when she noticed the figure beside her. "What the hell?" she hissed.

"You have no idea," said Spencer as he arranged his things in front of her.

She ignored his strange response. "When did you get there?"

"Just a minute ago. Why do you look so worried?"

Anya composed her features. "I've forgotten my textbook. I was sure I brought it with me but I must've have..." she trailed off.

"Well, you can share with me if you'd like."

Anya smiled. "Sure, thanks." She watched him as he flicked through the pages. He was attractive, not in the Rhys kind of attractive; shy smile, dark skin, big brown eyes, curly black hair, a crooked nose and scar on the bridge from when he'd fallen from a tree as a kid. But the pale, graceful-yet-muscular, too-perfect-it-seems-wrong attractiveness that all the Cullens had. There was something unnerving about the way Spencer looked at her sometimes, she didn't like it. He was doing it right now, but she didn't snap at him like she wanted to, not while she needed to take down his notes on black holes. Maybe later.

"You're staring at me, do I have something on my face?" Spencer asked. He seemed more smug that he's caught her staring, than concerned about his appearance. She scowled, _hypocrite_.

"Funny," she said before she could stop herself, "I was just wondering why you were staring at me. It's sort of creepy."

He was obviously taken aback. He stuttered a little but didn't make a comeback. He'd obviously been practising what to say.

"Well?" Anya loved having control of any situation, especially if it involved embarrassing the rich too-attractive kid who liked to show off his flashy car and stare at her like a rapist all the time.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. They didn't talk for the next hour.

Anger flooded through Anya when she saw her bike. The wheels, chain and seat had been stolen, leaving it a sad frame; the memory of the bike she'd rode to school every day for four years. She couldn't think of anyone in town who would do such a thing, everyone was so nice.

She would have called her father but her cell phone had been amongst the things she had apparently left at home this morning even though she had double checked her bag. She sighed and began walking, it wasn't that far...

She had walked about a mile before she heard the engine purring behind her. It slowed to a crawl beside her and she thought the same thing she thought every time a car exhibited such behaviour; _oh crap, I'm going to get murdered and buried in someone's back yard._

The window wound down to reveal Spencer's pale face. "Do you need a ride home?"

"No, I'm fine walking thanks," replied Anya as she hurried on. The car kept its slow pace beside her for at least another ten minutes before she stopped and called to Spencer, "are you going to follow me the whole way home?"

"Yes Ma'am. Maybe you should get in the car."

She felt the slow ache forming on the heels of her feet and could almost smell the leather of the seats. A little voice whispered in the back of her head, _check the trunk for rope, duct tape and a shovel first._

She got in the car and tried to ignore the voice until she saw the unnerving stare coming from Spencer as it usually did. "Hey, you don't mind if I put my bag in the trunk do you?"

"No, I don't mind. Go ahead."

When she opened the trunk she was relieved to see that were only a few CDs and Spencer's backpack inside. She placed her satchel next to his bag and shut the trunk. When she pulled the seatbelt around her Spencer smiled innocently and drove ahead.

The guy drove like a crazy person. If it weren't for the fact that she'd been on way too many crazy car journeys with her Dad, it might have bothered her, even when he looked away from the road.

"You made me feel really uncomfortable earlier Anya." Spencer said as they zoomed along the road.

"Ditto," Anya replied coldly, staring idly out of the window.

"I think you should apologize."

Anya's head snapped around. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes. You were very rude and I think you're still being quite rude right now. If I didn't know you better, I would assume you had no manners at all."

Anya's heart sunk as she saw the expression on his face. It was beyond anger. Maybe she should have checked his backpack for that rope and tape. The little voice warned her against it, but she needed to put him in his place.

"I have manners," she snapped, "I just choose not to use them around people I thoroughly dislike. Now, if you don't mind, I'll walk."

Anya reached for the handle but the lock disappeared into the door before she could open it. She turned round to look at her captor, whose mouth was posed in a grimace, he looked like a hungry animal and she found herself wondering, among all of her terror, if he might snarl.

Anya was jolted into the locked door as Spencer restarted the engine and made a sharp turn off of the main road and onto a muddy track through the woods. Hot panic flooded through her and set her nerves on fire. She could tell what was going to happen from his rigid position, the look of rage on his face as he avoided her horrified gaze, the way he drove more psychotically than before.

_I'm going to die, _thought Anya, _he's going to kill me. _


End file.
